Plop SATA CD/DVD Workaround/Fix

[0mega]

Hello all, 

If anything contained here is against Copyrights or any Rules here, Admin please modify accordingly!

While bulding a Multiboot USB flash drive from a microSDHC card, SDHC adapter card and a SDHC card reader to USB adapter.

I realized my Computer would not recognize the USB flash drive, so through many searches and webpages on the internet, I came across Plop, thank you Elmar for making this software and then downloaded it, burnt a CD from the provided iso and nothing but a blinking cursor after selecting the CD/DVD drive via the Computers boot menu.

After reading through many pages here as well, I come to find out that Plop does not support Internal SATA CD/DVD Drives to boot other operating systems from SATA CD/DVD/USB Drives.

Many attempts and disks later, here is the soultion of what I did to get to get Plop to work on a Computer with a Internal SATA CD/DVD Drives to boot other operating systems from SATA CD/DVD/USB Drives.

In layman terms what happens that it makes a CD/DVD of Plop into a Virtual Floppy A:\ that boots from the computers RAM, instead of the disk itself, which means that SATA CD/DVD Drives can boot other operating systems from SATA CD/DVD/USB Drives, since Plop is not actually booting from a Internal SATA CD/DVD Disk.

Note: This was done in a Windows 7 Environment not Linux, it should not matter which version of Windows is used to create this CD/DVD, if anyone let's me know i'll try to add/fix this tutorial to refelect this changes, if possible anyone that can do this using Linux feel free to add any input you can or how to this tutorial.

I'm not responsible for errors of any sort, follow the directions exactly, and all should be fine!

Part 1:

Steps:

1. Downloads needed to start

  1st. Download Plop Software written by Elmar Hanlhofer Click Here to Download Plop
  2nd. Download RawWrite for windows Click Here to Download RawWrite

2a. Write disk image to Floppy Disk 
   
  1st. Extract the contents of the plpbt-5.0.13.zip
  2nd. Run rawwritewin.exe and navagate inside the plpbt-5.0.13 folder to find plpbt.img disk image and write it to a
  blank Floppy Disk normally located at A:/ if you are fortunate enough to have one in a newer computers.

{Have A:/ or Floppy Drive skip to step 3a, if not use step 2b}

2b. Create a Virtual Floppy Drive

  1st. Download Virtual Floppy Drive Click Here to Download VFD
  2nd. Extract the contents of the vfd21-080206.zip and run vfdwin.exe
  3rd. Next when the VFD Control Panel opens, click the following buttons in this order:
  4th. Click Install a message will appear that says "The VFD driver is installed."
  5th. Click Start a message will appear that
  says "Formatted the current image."
  6th. Click Open/Create, leave all the other settings alone and click the Create button only a message will appear that    says; "Drive 0: A virtual floppy image is opened." or "Drive 1: A virtual floppy image is opened."
  Note: This depends on what Drive tab on clicked on Drive0 or Drive1
  7th. Click Format then OK x2 "message will appear that says Formatted the current image."
  8th. Click Change Button and cange the Drive Letter: from (NONE) to A:
   leave Persistant/Global checked and click OK, a message will appear that
  says; "Drive 0: A drive letter is assigned." or "Drive 1: A drive letter is assigned."
  Note: This also depends on what Drive tab on clicked on Drive0 or Drive1
  9th. Click the the exit button.

{You should now have a "Floppy Disk (A:)" in the Computer drives that are listed and can go back to complete step 2a}

[0mega]

Part 2

3a. Making a CD/DVD

  1st. Download Nero Burning ROM Click Here to Download Nero
  2nd. Run Nero Burning ROM, choose CD if not already selected, then click CD-ROM (Boot) on the list of CD types.
  3rd. Next change no settings in the New Compilation, and click the New button.
  4th. Now with that done you can put a CD/DVD in your writable drive and click the Burn button.
  5th. In the next window make sure that Write and Finalize disk is checked and click the Burn button again.
  6th. Next select where you are going to save the image to.
  7th. Click File name: tab and change the Image Files name.   
  8th. Click Save as type: tab and change to ISO Image Files (*.iso) 
  9th.Click Save and voila you now have a CD/DVD made. 

3b. Making a ISO file 

  1st. Download Nero Burning ROM from the above link.
  2nd. Run Nero Burning ROM, choose CD if not already selected, then click CD-ROM (Boot) on the list of CD types.
  3rd. Next change no settings in the New Compilation, and click the New button.
  4th. Click Recorder, then click Choose Recorder,and then select Image Recorder, then click the Burn button.
  5th. In the next window make sure that Write and Finalize disk is checked and click the Burn button again.
  6th. Next select where you are going to save the image to.
  7th. Click File name: tab and change the Image Files name.
  8th. Click Save as type: tab and change to ISO Image Files (*.iso)
  9th. Click Save and voila you have a ISO image that can be written with about any program that can burn ISO
  images.
   
  {A premade ISO is attached for Forum Members that does not want to go through all of these steps to make one}

[Elmar]

hi,
i am not sure what you are doing, but i think you misunderstood the "unsupported sata cd/dvd"

the boot manager itself has no problem to start from sata cd/dvd, but the internal cdrom driver does not support sata cd/dvd drives to boot other operating systems from sata cd/dvd drives.

best regards
elmar

[0mega]

hi,
i am not sure what you are doing, but i think you misunderstood the "unsupported sata cd/dvd"

the boot manager itself has no problem to start from sata cd/dvd, but the internal cdrom driver does not support sata cd/dvd drives to boot other operating systems from sata cd/dvd drives.
 
best regards
elmar

Thank you for your input Elmar
Sorry actually that is what I am trying to explain, but worded it wrong  .
Reworded the posts like you stated above, so it all should make more sense now.